shop." Now the regular
observances pertain to the yoke of the rule. Therefore religious who
are appointed bishops are not bound to religious observances.

Obj. 2: Further, he who ascends from a lower to a higher degree is
seemingly not bound to those things which pertain to the lower
degree: thus it was stated above (Q. 88, A. 12, ad 1) that a
religious is not bound to keep the vows he made in the world. But a
religious who is appointed to the episcopate ascends to something
greater, as stated above (Q. 84, A. 7). Therefore it would seem that
a bishop is not bound to those things whereto he was bound in the
state of religion.

Obj. 3: Further, religious would seem to be bound above all to
obedience, and to live without property of their own. But religious
who are appointed bishops, are not bound to obey the superiors of
their order, since they are above them; nor apparently are they bound
to poverty, since according to the decree quoted above (Obj. 1) "when
the holy ordination has made of a monk a bishop he enjoys the right,
as the lawful heir, of claiming his paternal inheritance." Moreover
they are sometimes allowed to make a will. Much less therefore are
they bound to other regular observances.

_On the contrary,_ It is said in the Decretals (XVI, qu. i, can. De
Monachis): "With regard to those who after long residence in a
monastery attain to the order of clerics, we bid them not to lay
aside their former purpose."

_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 1, ad 2) the religious state
pertains to perfection, as a way of tending to perfection, while the
episcopal state pertains to perfection, as a professorship of
perfection. Hence the religious state is compared to the episcopal
state, as the school to the professorial chair, and as disposition to
perfection. Now the disposition is not voided at the advent of
perfection, except as regards what perchance is incompatible with
perfection, whereas as to that wherein it is in accord with
perfection, it is confirmed the more. Thus when the scholar has
become a professor it no longer becomes him to be a listener, but it
becomes him to read and meditate even more than before. Accordingly
we must assert that if there be among religious observances any that
instead of being an obstacle to the episcopal office, are a safeguard
of perfection, such as continence, poverty, and so forth, a
religious, even after he has been made a bishop, remains bound to
observe these, and conse